Tainted Blood

Blackhearts #3

by Nathan Long

On their third exciting mission, Reiner and the Blackhearts investigate strange goings-on in the city of Talabheim, where the forces of magic are running wild. Can the Blackhearts solve the mystery before the city becomes lost to Chaos forever?

Genres: Fantasy

253 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 2006

About the author

Nathan Long is a screen and prose writer, with two movies, one Saturday-morning adventure series, and a handful of live-action and animated TV episodes to his name, as well as eleven fantasy novels and several award-winning short stories.

He hails from Pennsylvania, where he grew up, went to school, and played in various punk and rock-a-billy bands, before following his writing dreams to Hollywood - where he now writes novels full time - and still occasionally plays in bands.

His latest novel is Jane Carver of Waar, available March 6th from Night Shade Books. Visit his blog at www.sabrepunk.com.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The somewhat despondent Blackhearts start the novel back at the house of the Lord that commands them. They know they have a latent poison in them that the Lord can activate with a few words. They all also suspect that there is a spy for the Lord among them. Morose, they await their next command. After augmenting them with some other rogues and villains, the Lord finally tells them what comes next.

The endless political machinations continue once again. It seems an allied city/state surrounded by the Empire has had an outbreak of Chaos. The Lord's plan: rid the area of Chaos and somehow annex the city/state for the Empire along the way. Regarding the Chaos, they have the help of an ancient Elf, whose magic they hope will help. Once they finally arrive, they found out that a stone stele the elves placed long ago to thwart the Chaos that arrived via meteor has been 'displaced' and the Chaos erupted, causing horrible mutations among the population. It seems every Lord and Worthy in the City wants to the be one to recover it, thereby advancing their own political career. Worse, some of the nobles seem to be corrupted by Chaos or perhaps even worse than that, are cultists themselves...

A fun conclusion to the series that I read primarily to see if the roguish Blackhearts would ever rid themselves of poison and thus become free. While this will not strain your brain much, Long does pace it well and the political intrigue is fun in a dark way. 3 chaotic stars!

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve read the previous two Blackhearts novels, you’re going to have to read this as well. It completes the trilogy, and you finally get to see whether the Blackhearts win their freedom, or not. I’ve been reading some reviews (where I could find them) and it seems that quite a few readers preferred Tainted Blood to its predecessors. As for myself, I’m not sure. I think that I have let too much time pass after reading The Broken Lance. I found that I couldn’t recall some of the key events leading up to this novel, which obviously marred the experience a bit. That being said, if you’re into this kind of thing (Warhammer, that is, or hack & slash fantasy), this will be right up your alley. There is a whole assortment of baddies to be slaughtered here, ranging from mutants and skaven to the more sophisticated Druchii. At times the book feels shallow as hell, as skirmish-in-dark-cavern follows skirmish-in-dark-cavern, but Warhammer’s “Old World” is quite an interesting setting and these novels serve as a nifty way to explore it.

Depending on your expectations (and really, you should know what you’re in for when reading this kind of fantasy fiction), this is either an exercise in absurdity or a fun way to while away a few hours. If you enjoyed the Malus Darkblade or Gotrek & Felix novels, there really isn’t much reason why you wouldn’t enjoy Blackhearts.

Find the omnibus edition here: Blackhearts: The Omnibus

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book of Nathan Long about the BlackHearts. A company of men who have been senteced to death and to escape that they've become the last line of defence of the Empire. They go from dangerous operation to even dangerous operation. The two previous book told us how they got in the service of Manfred, the Count. They were tricked and they've got poison in their Blood. If they try to escape they will end up dead, so they venture through adventure to adventure. This one was the most difficult. They had to recover a stone, in which if they loss the world will lose is balance and chaos would reign.

For that there was the blackheart's leader, Reiner, the female archer Franka, the pike Hals and Pavel (this for were all that last from the first blackheart regiment. They were join in the second adventure by Gert with his crowssbow and the Master of Swords Jurgen.
In this game they were join by Augustus the pike, Rumpolt the Handgunner, Darius the phisican and Dieter the master assassin with 117 notches.

Bear in mind that they are all criminals. (This reminds me o f the penal legions in the II World War).

Well, in the last book, one of the blackhearts were a spy to the Count. They didn't knew who were but from all previous characters there was one that I didn't like, one that had no significant part in the story... I knew from the start who was it... It was obvious.

Well this book is about betrayal. It's all about Betrayal, sometimes the characters are double-crossed, triple-crossed and one time i think they go far from it.. lol

I like the book.. The last 100 pages I read it in 2h. It was very quick narration. There are some factors that I didn't enjoy. They beat all the enemies... there are skavens (again), there are the mutants, the count manfrend, the two lord cultists(one from slaanesh and other Tzeentch), the dark elf who reveres to Khaine (well only Nurgle the pestilence god was not there... well now that I think of it, he was.. the pestilence of the mutants lol).. How nice, a family reunion.
Well... so, the blackhearts may die from a dozen different ways, they've got the cross all of them, sometimes even on themselves...

I like the book, it's not the best book from warhammer, I mean the writer and plot, but still very much enjoyment.

Next book from Nathan Long it's Orcslayer, which is the 8th book from the Gotrek and Felix Saga.. (one of the first book that came from warhammer, the saga it's a standard book from warhammer.. let us see if Nathan it's on the same level). (2012 update: It is)

[Teo · Rating 3 out of 5]

After their last adventure in the south of the Empire, battling rogue army commanders, treacherous conspirators and lurking creatures from the underworld, the Blackhearts newest assignment takes them to the center of the Empire, to Talabecland and the capital Talabheim which lies deep in the great forest and is one of the most fortified cities in the land. There is a threat to Talabheim, and by extension to the Empire. The trouble is the city walls are void against it, because it source is from within. Chaos energies have been stirring deep beneath the city, causing the both plant and animal life - humans included - to develop hideous mutations. As much as it pains the Countess of Talabheim to admit it, the city-state needs outside help. On behalf of Emperor Karl-Franz an expedition is sent to aid the city, and achieve other secret goals while they're at it. However, they're not the only ones a hidden agenda out there.

As is often the case with trilogies, the last installment features the heroes' (in this case anti-heroes') biggest and most dangerous adventure yet. "Tainted Blood" is no exception: if the Blackhearts fail this time, there's quite the chance the Empire would be in for more than they could handle. Again, Nathan Long succeeds in creating lovable villains of his party of mercenaries, men who are often torn between doing the right, and doing the sane thing. Sometimes, even doing the right thing requires doing many wrongs. The Blackhearts are not black and white, they're gray, and that's what makes them human, and therefore enjoyable to read about.

Personally, I'd consider this the most balanced and best-written part of the trilogy. Not that any was bad, but I always found the quality going up and down, especially in "The Broken Lance". "Tainted Blood" is more or less consistent, with good pacing and rationing of action, stealth, mysteries and intrigues, political maneuvering. There's something for everyone. My only complaint is that the bad guys are rather stock materials. There's not really any depth to them, other than their desire to "rule the world". The ending features a good enough closure, while leaving the door very open for future adventures, possibly of a new kind.

To summarize: as a whole, the Blackhearts trilogy is a good read, especially for the fans of dark fantasy. If you happen to stumble upon it, do not hesitate to pick it up. It's worth it.

Rating: 8/10

[Elijah Allensworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good conclusion to the series. Almost too many twists and turns. Felt like one of those terrible video games where everything keeps going wrong.

[C Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending to a series that should have run for far, far longer. And the last two pages are utterly bleak. Great stuff.

[Kimberly Souder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to the first two. Resolution was fine, but pretty rushed.

[Peter Slaughter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid final book in the Blachearts trilogy

[Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

previously published at TheQwillery.com

I'm sad to see this series come to an end. I found it by mistake and count myself lucky. Tainted Blood the last book in The Black Hearts series takes you out with a bang.

Tainted Blood starts out with the Black Hearts at their worst with a traitor among them. Who it is and how not knowing the identity of the traitor worms its way into all the Black Hearts and nearly destroys them. I enjoyed the intrigue and guessing and was honestly surprised with the reveal. Long continues to shine with his characters, we see several continue to grow and meet new ones along the way. It amazes me that he has been able to kill off so many members of the Black Hearts and add more with each book. So many authors are unable to find the right balance in killing their darlings, but Long is one of the few that does it right.

The main storyline is a lot of fun as the Black Hearts are once again forced into service and find an impossible path out trouble. Long continues to raise the stakes without turning the whole thing into a gross misuse of the fantasy genre. I love it when an author brings things back from past books without making corny mistakes. It gives the series as a whole a united feel and also helps bring the story to a satisfying ending.

My only complaint with the book or the series as a whole is that it's over. I wish I had another book to read of the Black Hearts. Thankfully, I bought the omnibus, so I have a couple of short stories to enjoy. Nathan Long is now an author I will be keeping my eyes on for future releases. I hope he continues to write in the sword and sorcery genre that he does so well. I'd also love to see him write in his own world. I think he could bring us something new an interesting in world building.

Tainted Blood is sadly the final book is the series, but I'm happy with how it ended, which is more important than how it all began, because now it'll be a series I'll reread for years to come—a testament to Long's skill and the characters he created. There are a few minor moments of descriptive violence and implied sexual activities, but I have no problem recommending this book to teens or adults. It's a go-to series for me to recommend to anyone who enjoys cheering on reluctant heroes without having to be disgusted by them. It's got it all folks. Go buy all three books or get your hands on the omnibus. You'll thank me later.

[Slavomír Jančář · Rating 5 out of 5]

Velmi důstojné zakončení trilogie, které nádherně rozuzlí to, co bylo potřeba.
Tuhle serii bych zařadil do knih, které vás prostě nenechají přestat číst. Jakmile začnete, jste schopni ji dočíst na jeden, dva zátahy.
Můj celkový dojem z celé série je velmi pozitivní, pro mě jednoznačně jedna z nejlepších knih ze světa Warhammeru, co jsem kdy četl. Opravdu charizmatické postavy vás vtáhnou do děje a nepustí, tak jak to bylo už od prvního dílu trilogie. Jediné co mě snad mrzí je, že Nathan Long už propustil celou skupinu a toto byla poslední kniha, ale snad vyznával pravidlo "v nejlepším přestat" a to se mu také povedlo.

[Maetco · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the not so good Broken Lance, the Blackhearts make a solid comeback. The plot if filled with small twists involving well done characters (some new some old) and Hetzau hasn't been more interesting and cunning ever in the Blackhearts trilogy. The book also does a fairly good job at tidying unfinished business and there is a clear sense of completeness at the end.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fitting conclusion to a fast paced witty trilogy

[Connor Zumwalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book that I would recommend to anyone.